Activities of Maryam Rajavi

Maryam Rajavi Addresses International Conference of Female Judges

Published on 09 May 2018.

By Staff Writer

The International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) held a conference in Argentina from 2nd to 6th May. Female judges from more than 80 countries across the world travelled to Buenos Aires to participate. They discussed issues that affect female jurists and judges around the world.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) addressed the conference in a video message. She praised the participants on their work and thanked the association’s President, Ms. Susana Medina, for raising awareness about the mistreatment and violation women are faced with, as well at working towards solutions that will confront the problem.

She pointed out that women in Iran are “the most oppressed” and they are regularly victims to sexual assault and violence. Mrs. Rajavi said that this is because of the nature of the mullahs’ religious dictatorship that is overwhelmingly misogynistic. “The misogynist mullahs have imposed inhuman discriminations against women since they seized power in 1979. In addition, they have institutionalized such discriminations in the law.”

She also pointed out that women have half the rights compared to men. And this is literally the case in court where “the testimonies of two women are equal to the testimony of one man” and for inheritances where women get half the amount a man inherits.

Mrs. Rajavi listed numerous other examples of how women are denied rights and face social injustices. Some of these include the Iranian regime’s refusal to let women take certain jobs (including judgeship), and to work they must have the permission from their husband. Women are not allowed to apply for divorce, nor are they allowed to watch football matches in public stadiums. Furthermore, women are being trafficked abroad by the regime and many are pushed into prostitution.

The women of Iran are strong and time and time again fight back against the regime. In fact, the people of Iran on the whole have suffered years of mistreatment, and women are playing a big role in rising up against the regime.

“Women were in the leading ranks of the uprising that rocked Iran last December and January. Women comprise the majority of members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Also, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), which forms the backbone of the Iranian opposition, is led by 1,000 heroic women in its Central Council. This is the natural continuation of the role Iranian women have played since 120 years ago in all the major movements in Iran.”

Women in Iran risk arrest, torture, imprisonment and even execution to further, not just their cause, but the cause of all people in Iran. This is evident when we see how many female prisoners are currently in Iran’s prisons and how many female activists have been executed.

Mrs. Rajavi pointed out the harsh penal system that is severely prejudiced against women: “The regime’s penal code has paved the way for murder of women by their husbands and fathers. This means that if a woman is murdered on moral grounds by her husband, father or grandfather, the murderer is not punished.”